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In case you missed recent political news

In the spirit of the holiday season, I've taken it upon myself to once again update you on stories you might have missed as you've gone about your busy lives.

First, President Barack Obama will soon be deciding whether to tap Massachusetts' U.S. Sen. John Kerry as his next secretary of state. If Kerry is so designated, the question of how best to fill his newly opened Senate seat will take center stage on Beacon Hill.

In my modest opinion, the smartest thing would be to bring back a full appointment by the governor for the remainder of the departing senator's term. Requiring a 120-day special election period that could include the winter months makes no sense. Moreover, by choosing this path, Gov. Patrick would be setting up a battle two years hence between one former fill-in, U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, against the incumbent fill-in senator. That would truly create a level political playing field.

As regards potential candidates, while there are a number of potentially good choices, a great choice would be my old friend (and former client), current 8th District U.S. Rep. Mike Capuano.

The reason I believe a 2014 matchup between Republican Brown and Democrat Capuano is in the best interest of every citizen of the commonwealth is both would start their battle with an equal capacity to raise serious money, would enjoy good name recognition, and would be prepared to offer clearly different ideological positions.

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Regarding another race to be run years from now, media speculation already has begun as to whether voters in 2016 will give a 69-year-old woman the same serious consideration to become a president as they gave to a 70-year-old man in 1980.

My gut says it may be too soon to tell, but in my heart I sure hope Hillary Clinton is willing to give it a try.

On the non-electoral front, the U.S. Supreme Court is going to decide next Spring on both the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), as well as the constitutionality of an anti-gay marriage state initiative, which overturned the pro-gay marriage legislation passed by the California legislature and was signed into law by that state's governor.

On this one, my crystal ball is quite clear: DOMA goes, but the state initiative is sustained, thus denying gays in California the right to marry. It's called splitting the baby.

Meanwhile, the following are two tales that seem closer to Hypocrites 'R' Us than Toys "R" Us. It seems sleazy Gov. Scott Walker, after railing all year with fellow Republicans from across the country against the dangers and anti-democracy of same-day voting registration, waltzed his college-aged son into his local polling place on Wisconsin Primary Day to register him so he could vote for dad. You can't make this stuff up.

And in an effort to show that hypocrisy is not limited to just the Republican party, Obama, my choice for president in 2012, performed a major flip-flop when he announced that unlike 2009, when corporate money was not allowed to fund any of his inauguration events, next month's festivities will be funded by corporate as well as individual contributions.

I can only pray that he doesn't take the next step down this slippery slope and claim as did his 2012 Republican opponent Mitt Romney that, "corporations are people, too."

Finally, in case you missed it, Massachusetts Democrats absolutely were distraught to discover current Republican State Committee Chairman Robert A. Maginn Jr. will step down from that post at the end of the year.

Given that Bay State Democrats took back the seat they lost in U.S. Senate in 2010, retained all their seats in the U.S. Congress, and continued to dominate membership in both legislative branches on Beacon Hill, I guess it was just too much to hope for a Christmas miracle that would have kept Maginn in place for at least one more electoral cycle.

You think it would be too much to ask Santa for a new Republican chair with the same skills as the old Republican chair?

Just asking.

Michael Goldman is a senior consultant for the Government Insight Group in Boston.

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